Digital Collections Librarian: Assistant or Associate Librarian

Miami University; Oxford (OH); On-site; USD 55,000 - 72,000; Full time

Job summary

Miami University Libraries seeks a collaborative Digital Collections Librarian to lead its digital collections program, focusing on digitized and born-digital special collections and preservation.

Reporting to the Head of Special Collections & Archives, you will develop sustainable lifecycle practices and work with colleagues, patrons, and community partners to advance teaching, research, and public engagement.

Qualifications

• MLIS or equivalent degree completed by appointment date.
• Experience with digital collections, digitization, metadata, or preservation.
• Ability to work collaboratively across units and with partners.

Responsibilities

• Lead planning, implementation, documentation, and assessment of digitized and born-digital collections projects.
• Develop sustainable workflows for selection, digitization, preservation, and access.
• Establish policies for born-digital materials, web archives, and long-term access.
• Assess preservation risks and collaborate on infrastructure, security, and service improvements.
• Supervise student employees, interns, and project participants.

Skills

Digital collections

Metadata

Digital preservation

Digitization workflows

Born-digital materials

Project coordination

Education

Master’s degree in Library and Information Science (MLIS) from an ALA-accredited institution (or international equivalent)

Job description

Job Title Digital Collections Librarian: Assistant or Associate Librarian

Department Steward and Sustain Worker Type Regular Pay Type Salary

Position Salary Minimum Assistant: $55,000 Associate: $63,000

Position Salary Maximum Assistant: $63,000 Associate: $72,000 Salary will be commensurate with the level of the position, education, and experience.

Scheduled Weekly Hours 40 Benefit Eligible Yes Screening Date 2026-08-31

Job Description Summary Miami University Libraries seeks a collaborative, knowledgeable, and service-oriented Digital Collections Librarian to lead its digital collections program, with primary responsibility for digitized and born-digital special collections and shared responsibility for digital preservation. Reporting to the Head of Special Collections & Archives, the Digital Collections Librarian develops sustainable practices for managing digital materials throughout their lifecycle—from selection, acquisition, and rights review through digitization, description, preservation, discovery, use, and assessment. The librarian collaborates with library colleagues, partners, patrons, and community stakeholders. The position advances teaching, research, digital scholarship, exhibitions, and public engagement involving the distinctive collections of Miami University Libraries.

About the Collections

The Walter Havighurst Special Collections, University Archives, and Preservation unit stewards more than 125,000 rare books and other printed materials, more than 600,000 postcards, university and institutional archives, manuscript collections, and a wide range of distinctive materials of national and international significance. The archival collections document the history of Miami University, Western College for Women, Oxford College for Women, and the communities connected with these institutions. Miami University Libraries’ digital collections provide online access to photographs, manuscripts, publications, newspapers, audiovisual materials, and other digital objects. Collections include the Recensio yearbooks, Miami University Board of Trustees minutes, Miami University historical photographs, Western College materials, Oxford College materials, and other resources supporting research, teaching, and public engagement.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the planning, implementation, documentation, and assessment of projects involving digitized and born-digital special collections and archival materials.
• Develop and manage sustainable workflows for selection, acquisition, digitization, quality control, repository ingest, digital preservation, discovery, and access.
• Establish policies, technical specifications, and procedures for born-digital materials, web archives, digitization, digital preservation, storage, migration, and long-term access.
• Assess preservation risks, evaluate emerging technologies and professional practices, and collaborate with Library Technology and other partners on infrastructure, security, backup, integrations, and service improvements.
• Coordinate and supervise the work of student employees, interns, and other project participants.

Metadata, Systems, Discovery, and Access

• Develop and assess metadata practices that support the description, management, preservation, discovery, and reuse of digital collections.
• Create, transform, remediate, and migrate descriptive, administrative, structural, technical, and preservation metadata using appropriate standards and tools.
• Support the administration and development of digital collections, archival management, and digital preservation platforms, including system configuration, testing, upgrades, troubleshooting, and integration with other discovery systems.
• Promote accessible, inclusive, user-centered, and culturally responsible access while addressing copyright, privacy, intellectual property, donor restrictions, cultural sensitivity, and other legal and ethical considerations.

Teaching, Research, and Engagement

• Promote the discovery and use of Miami University Libraries’ digital and physical distinctive collections through research assistance, consultations, instruction, outreach, and public programming.
• Collaborate with faculty, students, researchers, and campus partners to integrate primary sources and digital collections into teaching, research, digital scholarship, and experiential learning.
• Develop or support physical and digital exhibitions, digital storytelling projects, workshops, guides, and other interpretive or instructional resources.
• Build relationships with academic departments, campus organizations, alumni, community partners, and other audiences to expand awareness and use of the collections.
• Perform other duties consistent with the position and the evolving needs of Miami University Libraries.

Collection Development and Program Support

• Participate in developing and maintaining special collections and archival holdings, including identifying and prioritizing materials for digitization, preservation, and online access.
• Assess the technical, preservation, metadata, storage, rights, and access implications of potential acquisitions, including born-digital and hybrid collections.
• Work with donors, researchers, alumni, and colleagues to support collection development, responsible digital transfer, fundraising, grants, and externally supported initiatives.
• Communicate the value and impact of digital collections to University stakeholders; participate in departmental, Libraries, and University initiatives; and engage in relevant professional organizations and activities appropriate to the position.
• Perform other duties consistent with the position and the evolving needs of Miami University Libraries.

Technology Environment

Miami University Libraries currently uses ContentDM and plans to adopt Archivematica to support the management, preservation, and discovery of distinctive collections. The Digital Collections Librarian will serve as functional lead for ContentDM and Archivematica and will collaborate with Library Technology staff responsible for technical infrastructure, integrations, information security, storage, and system administration.

Minimum Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Library and Information Science (MLIS) from an ALA-accredited institution (or international equivalent) completed by date of appointment.
• Appointment as Associate Librarian requires an established record of service and scholarship as described in the requirements.
• Education or experience related to digital collections, digitization, born-digital materials, digital preservation, metadata, archives, or a closely related area.

Consideration Will Be Given for Candidates with:

• Experience coordinating projects or workflows and working collaboratively with others.
• Effective written and oral communication skills.
• Experience contributing to or managing digital collections, digitization, born-digital archives, digital preservation, metadata, or related projects in a library, archives, museum, cultural heritage organization, or comparable setting.
• Experience developing, documenting, assessing, or improving digital project workflows, policies, procedures, or services.
• Experience with digital collections, digital preservation, repository, archival management, or content-management platforms.
• Knowledge of metadata, archival description, digitization, and digital preservation standards and best practices.
• Knowledge of or experience with digitization technologies, equipment, and software—including high-resolution imaging, film and audiovisual capture, image processing, color management, and quality-control tools—for creating preservation-quality digital representations of varied collection formats.
• Experience with born-digital materials, metadata transformation, web archiving, audiovisual preservation, digital forensics, or related technologies and workflows.
• Knowledge of copyright, privacy, intellectual property, accessibility, cultural sensitivity, and ethical stewardship as they relate to digital collections.
• Experience supporting instruction, research assistance, digital scholarship, exhibitions, outreach, or the use of primary sources in teaching and learning.
• Experience coordinating projects and building collaborative relationships with colleagues, student employees, faculty, researchers, donors, or community partners.

Additional Position Information

Required Application Documents Cover Letter and Resume/CV

Special Instructions (if applicable) None

Additional Information A criminal background check is required. All campuses are smoke- and tobacco-free campuses. This organization participates in E-Verify.

Remote Work

For positions that are approved for remote work: Remote work is not a right, it is a work arrangement that can be modified or revoked by Miami University at any time for any reason, including the convenience of the University.

Reasonable Accommodations

Requests for reasonable accommodations for disabilities related to employment should be directed to [e-mail] or 513-529-3560. Questions and follow-ups regarding requests should also be directed here.

Miami University Values Statement

Miami University is a scholarly community whose members believe that a liberal education is grounded in qualities of character as well as of intellect. We respect the dignity of other persons, the rights and property of others, and the right of others to hold and express disparate beliefs. We believe in honesty, integrity, and the importance of moral conduct. We defend the freedom of inquiry that is the heart of learning and combine that freedom with the exercise of judgment and the acceptance of personal responsibility. For more information on Miami University’s mission and core values, please visit the Mission and Core Values webpage.

Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Statement

Miami University, an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer, encourages applications from protected veterans and individuals with disabilities. Miami University prohibits harassment, discrimination and retaliation on the basis of age (40 years or older), color, disability, gender identity or expression, genetic information, military status, national origin (ancestry), pregnancy, race, religion, sex/gender, status as a parent or foster parent, sexual orientation, or protected veteran status in its application and admission processes, educational programs and activities, facilities, programs or employment practices. Requests for reasonable accommodations for disabilities related to employment should be directed to [e-mail] or 513-529-3560.

Clery Act

As part of the University’s commitment to maintaining a healthy and safe living, learning, and working environment, we encourage you to read Miami University’s Annual Security & Fire Safety Report at: http://www.MiamiOH.edu/campus-safety/annual-report/index.html, which contains information about campus safety, crime statistics, and our drug and alcohol abuse and prevention program designed to prevent the unlawful possession, use, and distribution of drugs and alcohol on campus and at university events and activities. This report also contains information on programs and policies designed to prevent and address sexual violence, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking. Each year, email notification of this website is made to all faculty, staff, and enrolled students. Written notification is also provided to prospective students and employees. Hard copies of the Annual Security & Fire Safety Report may be obtained from the Miami University Police Department at 513-529-2223.

Labor Law Posters for Applicants

Please visit our Labor Law Posters webpage to access all relevant and applicable labor law information.

Miami University is a major public university

Miami University is a major public university with a small college feel. Creating environments for learning excellence and providing career opportunities in Oxford, Hamilton, Middletown, West Chester and Luxembourg, our faculty, staff, and student employees are the fuel that drives Miami! We rank first nationally among public universities for best teaching by U.S. News & World Report. Our opportunities for growth and advancement are not limited to students in the classroom. Our faculty, staff, and student employees are highly valued for their contribution toward the Miami experience. Miami’s main campus is located in Oxford, Ohio, 35 miles north of Cincinnati. A true college town, Oxford features a wide variety of shops and restaurants within walking distance of the main campus. Our regional campuses are located in Hamilton, Middletown, and the Voice of America Learning Center in West Chester, Ohio. For faculty and staff, Miami offers a great work environment and competitive benefits. We invite you to experience Miami and see how you can support the University’s Mission.